Sochi 2014 Winter Games

[KevanG]

2-0 so far.

 

[Pink Ranger]

 

[KevanG]

3-0 shutout for Canada! Woo. We got the Gold.

10 Gold in total.

 

[Feenix]

That was total domination.

Best defense, ever. Holy hell what a team.

 

[Themanofbat]

WOO HOO!!!!!

What a game... Total dominance.

 

[3rdstone]

Yeah, Canada was really the better team here, and well worthy the gold. Congratulations Canada!

I would've wanted a gold of course, but I'm kinda glad that this was our first loss in this tourney, and a silver is cool considering the other team.

 

[Gee]

Well done, Canada! t:

 

[jmc]

Canada is like the Australia of the north so I was behind them. Well done in winning the hockey gold. Hard luck Sweden, had a good tournament and deserved to play for the top prize.

 

[KevanG]

We got both Hockey Gold

 

[WildChild]

Double gold in both Hockey and Curling.What an amazing Olympics for Canada. t: Go Canada Go!

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Is there not an international body responsible for ensuring the players are released for international duties for certain events? NHL owners can grumble all day for all I care because there is no higher honor for an athlete than to play for his/her country in a World Cup/Olympic Games. It's 2 weeks every 4 years for crying out loud.

The IIHF is the international governing body but they have very little clout regarding this and mostly just handle transfer agreements between the leagues in different countries and run the non-Olympic international tourneys (World Championships, World Juniors, etc.)

NHL and the NHLPA have to agree for the players to go to the Olympics every 4 years. And there's a building sentiment that its not going to happen in 2018 since the Olympics are in a non-NHL talent nation in South Korea (we miss you, Richard Park! ) The owners dislike it because it breaks up the season and puts their million dollar investments at risk (*cough* John Tavares *cough*). From what I've heard, the players are really indifferent about it.

IMO the Olympics should always be an amateur endeavor. That's what made 1980 so special, and the legendary Canada/Sweden gold medal shootout game in '94 was like a future stars game. Most of the world really doesnt follow Junior hockey so this is a good chance to get exposure for the young up and coming stars.

There was also something cool about watching Team USA and Team Canada scrimmage the NHL teams in the lead up to the Olympics.

 

[Pink Ranger]

I'm kind of torn about NHLers in the Olympics. For one thing, the Olympics is about the best in the world, regardless of professional status, and it's also cool to see the best players in each nation form teams and play each other (the theoretical World Cup won't be the same).

At the same time, in the pre-NHL days, I also miss the art and science of trying to put together a Team Canada out of talented juniors and the odd unsigned free agent. However, you just know all the professional Russian players from the KHL are going to be made available for every Olympics for the foreseeable future.

 

[Hush]

I still think that the NHL will just relent I mean as much as it would be cool to see Juniors go at it Quick IMO is the best goaltender in the world and is an American, you have to have him on the team. It's silly to not let the NHLers play.

 

[Just_Human]

Carey ****n Price !


Habs baby

(still, we suck)

 

[Morg]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...lists--120-000--a-new-mercedes-174223357.html

 

[jmc]

The IIHF is the international governing body but they have very little clout regarding this and mostly just handle transfer agreements between the leagues in different countries and run the non-Olympic international tourneys (World Championships, World Juniors, etc.)

NHL and the NHLPA have to agree for the players to go to the Olympics every 4 years. And there's a building sentiment that its not going to happen in 2018 since the Olympics are in a non-NHL talent nation in South Korea (we miss you, Richard Park! ) The owners dislike it because it breaks up the season and puts their million dollar investments at risk (*cough* John Tavares *cough*). From what I've heard, the players are really indifferent about it.

IMO the Olympics should always be an amateur endeavor. That's what made 1980 so special, and the legendary Canada/Sweden gold medal shootout game in '94 was like a future stars game. Most of the world really doesnt follow Junior hockey so this is a good chance to get exposure for the young up and coming stars.

There was also something cool about watching Team USA and Team Canada scrimmage the NHL teams in the lead up to the Olympics.

I tend to agree with the Olympics being more an amateur event, however the realities are people want to see the best on the planet. I guess my question then is if Olympics aren't where hockey's best should be, then surely a quadrennial world cup in the NHL/European Leagues off seasons needs to be looked at to showcase the best in the world. It actually seems strange to me that a team sport like ice hockey doesn't have a 4-year world championship cycle like soccer, basketball, rugby, cricket, field hockey, baseball, etc .

 

[Morg]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...-sochi-is-already-a-ghost-town-175729872.html

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

I tend to agree with the Olympics being more an amateur event, however the realities are people want to see the best on the planet. I guess my question then is if Olympics aren't where hockey's best should be, then surely a quadrennial world cup in the NHL/European Leagues off seasons needs to be looked at to showcase the best in the world. It actually seems strange to me that a team sport like ice hockey doesn't have a 4-year world championship cycle like soccer, basketball, rugby, cricket, field hockey, baseball, etc .

They have done a World Cup of hockey in '96 and and 2004, which was sort of an offshoot of the old Canada Cup, but it never really had much of an impact.

Problem you have with hockey is that the season runs from October to mid June. Some players have all of 2+ months off before they're back in training camps. You'd have to play it in the summer, or stop the NHL for two weeks mid-season to do it any other time, which they seem to dislike doing for the Olympics now.

Also hockey's growth and popularity has really only produced superior talent in one league, the NHL. Unlike soccer where you have multiple leagues throughout the world competing for international talent on the same level, where a World Cup makes more sense. Maybe some day if the KHL and SEL get to the point of rivaling the NHL talent wise you even have a Champions League type setup, although the travel would be brutal.